Menu

Secrets of the Superhuman Food Pyramid: Negative Effects of Soy Beans

It’s said that soy beans were introduced to the US in 1765 by Samuel Bowen, a sailor who had traveled to China. However, it was not until the 1900s that soy beans served a significant agronomic role for the country.

Prior to the Second World War, the US was largely importing edible fats and oils. Because the war disrupted the set trade routes, the US had to find an alternative source and so started to process soy beans for its edible oil. In the 1930s, cultivation of soy beans was greatly encouraged in the drought-stricken states as the crop had soil rehabilitating properties.

Currently, soy beans are touted as this century’s wonder food. Soy beans do contain significant amounts of all the essential amino acids, thus making it a complete source of protein. While this is the case, not everyone may be able to take advantage of soy beans’ nutritional benefits.

Soy beans belong to the goitrogen category of food. Goitrogens contain isoflavones, specifically equol and genistein, which have been found to cause abnormalities to the thyroid. The condition known as goiter or the enlargement of said gland is one such illness. Individuals who suffer from iodine deficiency are particularly at risk. Health professionals will most likely advice those afflicted to steer clear from food items classified as goitrogens.

It has been found in a study that feeding soy milk formula to infants with congenital hypothyroidism results in a prolonged increase of thyroid stimulating hormone or TSH, thus making the condition worse and management of said disease more challenging. Hypothyroidism causes a number of complications, and when left unchecked, may lead to growth problems, complications to the heart, and intellectual disability.

Genetically modified soy beans have been available in the market for years now. Said variety is used in food products from soy milk to soy flour. Various studies have shown that ingestion of GMO soy beans, much like GMO corn, caused abnormalities to test subjects. In one study, for instance, mice fed with GMO soy beans developed abnormalities in their testes, specifically damage to their young sperm. In yet another research, female mice fed with GMO soy bean flour had a high pup mortality rate. The young mice that survived, meanwhile, were considerably smaller in size than their non-GMO-fed counterparts. Even more alarming is that the GMO soy bean-fed offspring were unable to conceive later on.

Though the debate on the safety of genetically modified food still rages on, scientists generally concur that it will take years before any certainty over the health effects of genetically modified food items like soy beans is verified. Someone really concerned about one’s health shouldn’t find it hard to decide to choose wild soy beans over the genetically modified ones, especially now that labeling of some types of processed products isn’t really strictly implemented.

In the next post, I’ll tell you the negative effects of soy nuts and why you should avoid them to succeed in your quest to Become Superhuman.

In the meantime, if you care to jump ahead, here is a complete listing of the grains and legumes on Superhuman Food Pyramid:

If you have questions, comments or feedback about the negative effects of soy beans, the Superhuman Food Pyramid, this website, or other aspects of Becoming Superhuman, then leave your thoughts below, as well as any tips you have on the negative effects of soy beans.

Author Bio: Ben Greenfield

Ben Greenfield is head coach of the Superhuman Coach Network, and an author, speaker and consultant. His blog is at http://www.bengreenfieldfitness.com and he can be hired for coaching at http://www.greenfieldfitnesssystems.com.

His credentials include:

Bachelor’s and master’s degrees from University of Idaho in sports science and exercise physiology Personal training and strength and conditioning certifications from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) Sports nutrition certification from the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) Advanced bicycle fitting certification from Serotta, the “Harvard” of bicycle fitting schools Over 10 years experience in coaching professional, collegiate, and recreational athletes from all sports

Ben hosts the highly popular fitness, nutrition and wellness website at http://www.bengreenfieldfitness.com, which features blogs, podcasts, and product reviews from Ben. He is a frequent contributor to Triathlete magazine and LAVA magazine, Endurance Planet (http://www.enduranceplanet.com), the outdoor sports magazine OutThere Monthly and has been featured in WebMD, the Spokesman-Review, Inlander magazine, In-Health magazine, Fit-Pro magazine, PTontheNet, Prevention magazine, Women’s Running magazine, and Inside Triathlon magazine.

As a public speaker on fitness, nutrition, and training, Ben hosts one of the top ranked fitness podcasts in iTunes, the Get-Fit Guy (http://www.GetFitGuy.com), and has been a keynote lecturer at the Hawaii Ironman World Championships Medical Conference, the Coeur D’ Alene Ironman Medical Conference, USAT Art & Science of Coaching Symposium, Can-Fit-Pro Conference, Pilgrim’s Wellness Center Education Series, Fleet Feet Sports Endurance Sports Clinic and REI Nutrition Clinic. He sits on the board of directors for Tri-Fusion triathlon team, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and is the official coach for the YoungTri. As a triathlon coach and competitor, Ben competes at Ironman and Half-Ironman World Championships, holds a ranking as of USAT’s top ranked age grouper triathletes, and competes in 15-20 triathlons each year, both nationally and internationally.

Disclaimer: This blog is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on this blog or materials linked from this blog is at the user's own risk. The content of this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard, or delay in obtaining, medical advice for any medical condition they may have, and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions.